


ground truth

by presumenothing (justjoy)



Series: knock three times // jshk fics [4]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, 地縛少年花子くん | Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun | Toilet-bound Hanako-kun (Manga)
Genre: (this is really not a complete fic at all but who's gonna stop me), Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-31 01:47:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 685
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21438172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justjoy/pseuds/presumenothing
Summary: "That… might've actually happened?" Nene says after thinking back for a moment.Aoi is fascinated but unfazed. (This will be representative of much of their relationship.)(but i believe yashiro nene cansave the world)
Series: knock three times // jshk fics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1473158
Comments: 5
Kudos: 68
Collections: Quality Fics





	ground truth

**Author's Note:**

> yes, you read that correctly, it's jshk but with bending
> 
> no, i don't know if this will make sense to anyone but the author

**土强**

Nene wakes to see a familiar face – until she blinks, and finds messy blonde replaced by dark indigo. The girl (_Aoi_, she soon learns) smiles down at her. "Oh good, you're up! You were muttering about being knocked down by a bull, I was worried you might have bumped your head or something."

"That… might've actually happened?" Nene says after thinking back for a moment.

Aoi is fascinated but unfazed. (This will be representative of much of their relationship.)

* * *

"I didn't tell you because the Avatar should never have been me. I'm not even much of an earthbender!" Nene scrubs at her face. "I have– _had_ this friend, Mei-chan, she could create just about anything she imagined. All _I'm_ good for is helping plants grow better."

"Maybe," Aoi agrees, but when Nene looks up she sees warmth, not disappointment. "Or maybe that's exactly the point? There's already enough destruction and fighters in this war. Maybe what the world really needs right now is someone to help things grow."

**水善**

"Aoi!" Nene throws herself over her friend, squeezing her eyes shut even as she prays for her bending to work _just this once–_

And somehow no flames touch them, but when Nene opens her eyes again it isn't rock holding them at bay but _ice_, and even as she watches Akane call a towering wave with a push of his arms all she can think is _but Aoi said neither of them are benders._

* * *

"You've been a bender all along?"

"Not if I can help it," Akane grits out. "And don't you dare tell Ao-chan."

_Why not_, Nene almost asks, recalling how excited Aoi had been even at her weak show of bending – then again, hasn't Nene herself wished to be just like everyone else, too? She shakes her head, clearing it of the thought. "Will you teach me?"

He sneers. "What – teach, or you'll tell her?"

_"No!_ That's not–" Nene sighs, suddenly tired. "I won't tell Aoi, just… forget I said anything, okay? I'll find someone else to teach me."

**火烈**

Nene refuses to flinch away from the streak of black lightning arcing towards her, raising her hands to redirect it like Master Yako had taught her – but instead another figure lands between them and _strikes it away_ with a bolt of white lightning and okay, that works too.

Teru doesn't even waver. "Step aside, Kou."

"_No!_ I know I'll never as good as you, and I don't know if we–" his voice cracks. "–if the Fire Nation is doing what's right, but I _won't_ stand by and let you hurt them again!"

* * *

"Wait, Minamoto-kun!"

He doesn't turn around, and they both pretend Nene can't see him rubbing at his eyes. "What?"

"…thank you. For what you did earlier."

"He's my brother. I won't hurt him for your sake, either."

"I know." Nene pauses, biting her lip. "We're setting up camp now, and I could use some help preparing dinner if you want to stay?"

**气和**

"This is amazing!" Even with her death grip on the glider, Nene can't help laughing in exhilaration. "It's like I could fly to the moon!"

"That's really further than you think!" Hanako shouts back over the whistle of wind, tugging his cap brim down to shadow his eyes as he watches her fly another loop, and suddenly Nene realises she's never seen him so much as _float_ off the ground before. (She'd thought it was plain luck, that'd she'd found a teacher without needing to fly up to the air temples somehow, but… who'd ever heard of an _earthbound airbender_, really?)

Carefully, she works one hand free – and Hanako steps deftly out of reach even as she holds it out. When he shakes his head, the jaunty grin is almost the same as always. "Thanks, but I'm not going anywhere."

Nene circles back and lands with a stumble, eyes wide. "But it's – why not?"

"Because I decided that I wouldn't," he says lightly, and before she can respond there's already a funnel of air spinning up around them. "Let's try that tornado move again!"

**Author's Note:**

> full cast list 
> 
> YASHIRO NENE as the avatar and the last earthbender (who went to the same earthbending academy as actual prodigy shijima mei)
> 
> AOI AKANE as the waterbender (who oscillates between "haha i'm definitely not a bender" and "FREEZE ALL THE THINGS" <strike>because he freezes things in canon too geddit?? yeah i'm hilarious</strike>)
> 
> AKANE AOI as the scarily badass actual-non-bender 
> 
> MINAMOTO KOU as the deeply conflicted firebender who needs to stop burning himself with lightning, dammit (also i'm not saying teru is azula but hey, Very Competent With Lightning)
> 
> HANAKO as the airbender with a mysterious past™ (look at how he floats about in canon, you can try telling me he wouldn't be an airbender but you would be wrong)
> 
> YAKO as a firebender who… probably still fights with giant scissors, because who's going to stop her, really
> 
> \+ bonus: TSUCHIGOMORI as the weird spider dude who still runs a secret library (but maybe not in the middle of the bloody desert this time because that just seems uncomfy)


End file.
